Faith And Trust
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Editor’s note: I re-encountered this poem earlier this week, and was struck by how poignant a response it held to all the recent controversy about Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins. Or, at least this is how I feel about it…
Two workmen true as I passed by
Announced what things beyond us lie,—
Two views that never can agree
Yet each one knew just what will be.
Of present days they were not sure
But each man’s future was secure,
For faith had set them both to know
Precisely how our destins flow.
But only this and this I know,—
That I am here and then I go.
I pass my work with hope and zest
And live my time as it seems best;
I live it full and drain it deep,—
’Tis well to live, ’tis vain to weep.
If there be things I cannot tell
The more I trust that all is well.
I take the cheer from daily lot
And for the rest I vex me not,
For what there is beyond the sod
I leave it all to Time and God.
— from Bailey’s collection of poems, Wind and Weather
(Doulos Christou Press reprint edition 2008)
Read the Book’s introduction here…
Faith And Trust
Two workmen true as I passed by
Announced what things beyond us lie,—
Two views that never can agree
Yet each one knew just what will be.
Of present days they were not sure
But each man’s future was secure,
For faith had set them both to know
Precisely how our destins flow.
But only this and this I know,—
That I am here and then I go.
I pass my work with hope and zest
And live my time as it seems best;
I live it full and drain it deep,—
’Tis well to live, ’tis vain to weep.
If there be things I cannot tell
The more I trust that all is well.
I take the cheer from daily lot
And for the rest I vex me not,
For what there is beyond the sod
I leave it all to Time and God.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
i like it.nn